Two-part hinge with integral pin



Jan. 28, 1969 R. 1.. HORSTMAN TWO-PART HINGE WITH INTEGRAL PIN Filed Jan. 25, 1967 INVENTOR. ROBERT L. HORST/144M BY amddw mwn ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent Oifice 3,423,787 Patented Jan. 28, 1969 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hinge is formed from only tWo parts, aside from the bearings. Joined to the leaves of the hinge are nesting open loops, one of which can rotate on the other to permit the hinge to be opened and colsed. The loops are provided with curved sliding surfaces for this purpose. A hinge pin, integral with the inner loop, is engaged by an extension of the outer loop which projects into the inner loop.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide a hinge which can be made more cheaply than standard hinges, which does not have a separate hinge pin, which can be extruded, which can be an integral part of a metal door frame and jamb, which has a reduced number of parts, which is tamper proof, and which has a pleasing appearance.

In accordance with this invention, the hinge is made from only two parts, aside from the bearings. Each part includes a hinge leaf, from one edge of which an open loop extends. The loop is disposed at one side of the plane of the leaf. One loop is disposed inside the other. When the hinge is closed, the leaves are substantially parallel. The loops are provided with two concentric pairs of mating, transversely arcuate, surfaces permitting the leaves to be swung away from each other. A pin inside the inner loop extends lengthwise of it and is spaced from the wall of the loop. The pin is concentric with the arcuate surfaces of the loops and is integrally connected by a web to the inner loop adjacent its free edge. One pair of the mating surfaces extend outwardly from the hinge leaves and part way around the pin. The inner loop has a curved inner surface parallel to that pair of mating surfaces. The other pair of mating surfaces extend inwardly from the free edges of the loops and part way around the opposite side of the pin. They have a shorter radius than the first pair. The outer loop has a curved outer surface parallel to the mating surfaces with the shorter radius. This curved surface has substantially as great a radius as the curved inner surface of the inner loop. The free edge of the outer loop is provided with an extension projecting inwardly across the free edge of the inner loop and fitting part way around the pin. Thrust bearings are provided to prevent the two parts of the hinge from moving lengthwise relative to each other.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the hinge closed;

FIG. 2 is a reduced side view of the open hinge with part of it broken away; and

FIGS is an enlarged fragmentary cross section taken on the line III-III of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a pair of binge leaves 1 and 2 are disposed in substantially parallel relation close together, with one secured to a door jamb 3 and the other fastened to a door 4. These leaves, and consequently the hinge as a whole, may be any length desired. Thus the hinge may be only a few inches long, in which case two or more vertically spaced hinges would be used on a door, or the hinge may be as long as the door so that only one hinge is required.

The hinge leaves project a short distance from one side of the door, and integrally joined to the projecting edges is a pair of loops 6 and 7 that extend along the leaves and away from one side of the general plane of the leaves. In the drawings the loops are shown overlapping the door jamb. The loops are open; that is, their outer or free edges are spaced from their inner edges joined to the leaves. One loop is disposed inside of the other so that they nest together, and they are provided with two concentric pairs of mating, transversely arcuate, surfaces 8 and 9, which permit one loop to rotate on the other and thereby allow one leaf to be swung away from the other so that the door can be opened. With the arrangement shown in the drawings, leaf 2 can be swung away from the other loop as the outer loop 7 turns around the inner loop.

Extending lengthwise of the inside of the inner loop 6 is a pin 11 that is spaced from the wall of the loop. However, the pin is integrally connected to the inner loop adjacent its free edge by means of a web 12. The pin is concentric with the arcuate surfaces 8 and 9 of the loops. One pair 8 of the mating arcuate surfaces extend outwardly from the hinge leaves and part way around the pin, preferably at least about degrees, and not more than degrees. The inner loop also has a curved inner surface 13 parallel to curved surfaces 8. The other pair of mating arcutate surfaces 9 extend inwardly from the free edges of the loops and part way around the opposite side of the pin. They have a shorter radius than the first pair 8 so that the outer loop can have a curved outer surface 14, parallel to curved surfaces 9, that has substantially the same radius as curved surface 13 for a purpose that will become apparent.

The free edge of the outer loop is provided with a flangelike extension 16 projecting inwardly across the free edge of the inner loop. At the inner end of this extension there is an arcuate channel 17 extending lengthwise of the hinge and fitting part way around the pin.

It will be seen that when the door is opened, the outer loop 7 will rotate on the outer arcuate surfaces 8 and 9 of the stationary inner loop as channel 17 rotates around the pin 11. When the door has been opened about 90 degrees, the outer curved surface 14 of the outer loop will start to slide along the inner curved surface 13- of the inner loop, so that the two parts of the hinge will remain connected together properly even after the curved inner surfaces of the outer loop have moved out of engagement with the inner loop. The door can continue to be opened until it has been swung open about degrees, as shown in FIG. 3. During the latter part of the opening movement, part of the channel 17 will enter an arcuate slot 19 formed between the pin and the adjacent side of the inner loop. If the channel also projects from the opposite side of extension 16 as shown when the door is closed, this projecting portion of the channel will enter an arcuate slot 20 formed between the pin and the free end portion of the inner loop.

In order to prevent the outer loop from sliding down on the inner loop until the door rests on the floor, thrust bearings 22 are mounted in the hinge. To accommodate these bearings, the inner loop and pin are made shorter than the outer loop by spacing the ends of the inner loop and pin inwardly from the ends of the leaves as shown in FIG. 2. The outer loop is the same length as the leaves. A gap is thus formed in each end of the hinge member that is fastened to the door jamb. Disposed in each of these gaps is one of the thrust bearings. Each bearing is a block of any suitable bearing material, such as nylon or Teflon, which is shaped to fit snugly within the outer end portion of the outer loop and around extension 16 and channel 17. The bearings extend across and completely cover the adjoining ends of the inner loop and pin, as shown in FIG. 1. The bearings can be held in place in any suitable manner, such as by pins 23 driven through holes in the outer loop and into the bearings. The upper bearing, therefore, will seat on top of the pin and inner loop and be supported by them. If the door were fastened to hingle leaf 1, then the lower hearing would support the pin and inner loop. In either case, the bearings also serve as end caps that close the ends of the loops and form fiat ends for the portion of the hinge projecting from the door and jamb. In a long hinge, one or more intermediate bearings may be used by forming gaps in the inner loop and pin between their ends to receive the bearings.

This hinge has many advantages. The two parts can be extruded in any desired length and then cut up into shorter lengths. By eliminating the separate hinge pin that forms a part of practically all hinges, manufacturing cost can be reduced and the pin can be extruded along with the part that forms the inner loop. On screen and storm doors having metal frames and jambs, the two parts of the hinge can be integral with the frame and jamb extrusions, thereby eliminating the manufacture and installation of a separate hinge. When made as a full length door hinge, it provides a completely sealed, tamper proof hinge that rotates with far less effort than standard hinges. This ease of operation is a distinct advantage in the case of doors having automatic closers, because standard hinges frequently operate with so much friction that the door closers cannot function efficiently. This hinge, when made the full length of the door opening, also can serve as a seal for the hinged side of the door where that is desirable, such as where it is necessary to exclude dust from a room. Finally, a door-length hinge like this one presents a single, smooth, unbroken line of pleasing appearance and can be finished or painted to blend with the adjoining wall and door.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment.

I claim:

1. A two-part hinge comprising a pair of substantially parallel hinge leaves adapted to be fastened to a door and a door jamb, an open loop extending along one edge of each leaf integral therewith and disposed at one side of the plane of the leaf, the loops nesting together and provided with two concentric pairs of mating transversely arcuate surfaces permitting the leaves to be swung away from each other, a pin inside the inner loop and extending lengthwise thereof spaced from the wall of the loop, the pin being concentric with said arcuate surfaces, 9. web integrally connecting the pin to the inner loop adjacent its free edge, one pair of said mating surfaces extending outwardly from the leaves part way around the pin, the inner loop having a curved inner surface parallel to said one pair of mating surfaces, the other pair of said mating surfaces extending inwardly from the free edges of the loops part way around the opposite side of the pin and having a shorter radius than the first pair, the outer loop having a curved outer surface parallel to said other pair of mating surfaces, and said curved outer surface having substantially as great a radius as said curved inner surface of the inner loop, and the free edge of the outer loop being provided with an extension projecting inwardly across the free edge of the inner loop and fitting part way around the pin.

2. A two-part hinge according to claim 1, in which said web is spaced from the free edge of the inner loop to form a longitudinal slot between the pin and the free edge portion of the inner loop, and part of the pin-engaging portion of said extension fitting in said slot.

3. A two-part hinge according to claim 1, in which there is an arcuate slot between the pin and the inner loop on the side of said web opposite the free edge of the inner loop for receiving an arcuate portion of said extension when the hinge is opened.

4. A two-part hinge according to claim 1, in which said outer loop projects lengthwise beyond said pin and inner loop, and a thrust bearing is rigidly mounted in the projecting portion of the outer loop and engages the adjoining end of the inner loop.

5. A two-part hinge according to claim 1, in which the opposite ends of said inner loop and pin are spaced inwardly from the ends of the leaves and outer loop, and thrust bearings are rigidly mounted in the ends of the outer loop and overlie the ends of the inner loop.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 989,677 4/1965 Great Britain.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

DORIS L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

